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Important information about the "Aikido Association of India" email (please see it at the bottom of this message).

A few years ago an Aikido group from India headied by Mr. Anil Kaushik, contacted my friend Gadi M. who has an Aikido Dojo in Israel. They wrote to him a similar letter as the one bellow... After agreeing on all matters, he waited for them at the airport. He saw some people who looked Indian, but no one approached him... after a while, when all the passegngers already left the airport, he went back home and tryed to find out what is happening with his guests. He phoned their number in India, and a woman said in a crying voice that they all had a car accident and they are in hospital... My friend's dojo members sent a present to the group in India and felt sorry.

After a while the police called my friend, and interrigated him for bringing illegal workers from India... apparently it was a scam. The Indian group cheated him. They actually did arrive in Israel, and just went to look for jobs here... The "accident" story was a cover story which was prepared in advance.

please be cafeful when you get an offer to invite people with nationalities that need visa to your country. Please be careful, and make sure you have all the people passports copies, and it is important to contact immigration authoroties to have their assistance to prevent such a case.

A group like this one contacted me too in the past, but they never agreed to send me a copy of their passport. They said they are some Indian police Judo team. They just tried again and again to get an invitation letter from me - probably nesecary when applying for visa to Israel.

Please do not discriminate, but its good idea to be careful and make sure you know who are the people you are inviting.

================================================================================ ================
MOST RESPECTED SENSEI
My self Anil Kaushik , president of aikido association of india like to come to your beautiful country Israel to learn aikido ( advance course) with my senior instructors team as we are very behind in aikido techniques.
I hope that your goodself will give me chance to learn it.As we think that Martial art and commondos of Israel is very very famous in the world, of course we shall pay your training fees, boarding fees and lodging fees.
I am sure of your very kind consent and approval to invite our team to your country.
waiting for your reply

I've gotten a couple of these - from Turkey, if I recall correctly, rather than India. The email asked specifically for a sponsorship letter and invitation. I think they asked to be uchi-deshi for 3 months or so. Since that isn't possible in our dojo and since I was a bit suspicious I responded with at bland note telling them we didn't have such a program but should they find themselves in Pittsburgh they were more than welcome to train with us. Never heard more. The next time I got one, I just didn't answer it.

They contact-me too. I asked informations about their Shihan and they answered to me that were a beggining group. I said that not could help them without a recomendation letter from a Shihan Knowed, so, they give up. See some e-mails from the"m:
Respected sir/madam
with due respect hello, first of all i would like to introduce my self my name is DALBIR SINGH I’m belongs to Indian Aikido team i had participated in many national Aikido tournaments & training camps
in following countries : AUSTRALIA ,CUBA , U.K ,U.S.A , CANADA , JAPAN , GERMANY , FRANCE , ITALY , RUSSIA , AUSTRIA , etc.i have a
good Aikido academy here in new Delhi we have a good talented playerss. male or females this time we would like to come there in your club for 10 days training with some of your Players or if you have an international Aikido tournament or seminar
so we would also like to participate there & we have also needs a accommodation also we can pay for so if there is any possibility then
let me know about that. Please do invite our academy
I’m hoping for your fastest & favorable response

I would like to undertand what is exactly tournaments and players for you. For me(my english is poor), is a championship, and we don't participate of championship. We training a very traditional Aikido following our Shihan, the Mr. Wagner Bull.

Do you have some site at Internet about your group and you follow some Shihan?

Best regards,
Joacir Marques

2009/5/30 Indian Aikido <indianaikidoteam@yahoo.in>

Dear sir,
Hello, thank you for your reply we would like to arrive there 18th morning & will depart from there 22nd of june.
but we need invitation letter with some needfull documents from your club for our team visa.
please reply to me in this we have also send this mail to your coach.
thanking you INDIAN TEAM

--- On Sat, 30/5/09, Joacir Junior <joacirjunior@gmail.com> wrote:

Date: Saturday, 30 May, 2009, 1:34 PM

Hello Mr. Dalbir,

When you arrive in Manaus? Please, I Would appreciate that you speak with my sensei Wagner Bull, our shihan, about trainning in Manaus for ten days. His e-mail is wagner.bull@aikikai.org.br. Our Seminar is open!

Best Regards,
Joacir

2009/5/30 Indian Aikido <indianaikidoteam@yahoo.in>

Respected sir/madam
with due respect hello, first of all i would like to introduce my self my name is DALBIR SINGH I’m belongs to Indian Aikido team i had participated in many national Aikido tournaments & training camps
in following countries : AUSTRALIA ,CUBA , U.K ,U.S.A , CANADA , JAPAN , GERMANY , FRANCE , ITALY , RUSSIA , AUSTRIA , etc.i have a
good Aikido academy here in new Delhi we have a good talented playerss. male or females this time we would like to come there in your club for 10 days training with some of your Players or if you have an international Aikido tournament or seminar
so we would also like to participate there & we have also needs a accommodation also we can pay for so if there is any possibility then
let me know about that. Please do invite our academy
I’m hoping for your fastest & favorable response

I would like to undertand what is exactly tournaments and players for you. For me(my english is poor), is a championship, and we don't participate of championship. We training a very traditional Aikido following our Shihan, the Mr. Wagner Bull.

Do you have some site at Internet about your group and you follow some Shihan?

Best regards,
Joacir Marques

2009/5/30 Indian Aikido <indianaikidoteam@yahoo.in>

Dear sir,
Hello, thank you for your reply we would like to arrive there 18th morning & will depart from there 22nd of june.
but we need invitation letter with some needfull documents from your club for our team visa.
please reply to me in this we have also send this mail to your coach.
thanking you INDIAN TEAM

When you arrive in Manaus? Please, I Would appreciate that you speak with my sensei Wagner Bull, our shihan, about trainning in Manaus for ten days. His e-mail is wagner.bull@aikikai.org.br. Our Seminar is open!

Best Regards,
Joacir

2009/5/30 Indian Aikido <indianaikidoteam@yahoo.in>

Respected sir,

Hello, thank you for your reply our players assure really very happy to received your invitation letter thank for that.
As you must be known for there come we have to apply our team visa at the Brazil Embassy New Delhi India.

The embassy wants some require documents from the organizers which is

1. Complete invitation letter on your official letter head with our player’s details.

2. Confirmation of our team’s accommodation during our stay there we will pay for this on our arrival.

3. Letter from your ministry of sports or your immigration department

All these letter should be reach to the both our association by post & Brazil embassy New Delhi India by fax.
Then we can go there to apply our team visa to come there we hope you can arrange all these letters for our team

really I would like help you with everything but is very hard for me get from ministry of sports or immigration department a letter for you. I don't know and I haven't time to discovery that now. I'll do my shodan test in this seminary and I'll travel to São Paulo for my trainning in next days. The seminar is organized and I would very happy that you could come and subscribe in our seminar, but I can't help you with all you need. I hope you can come.

Hello, thank you for your reply our players assure really very happy to received your invitation letter thank for that.
As you must be known for there come we have to apply our team visa at the Brazil Embassy New Delhi India.

The embassy wants some require documents from the organizers which is

1. Complete invitation letter on your official letter head with our player’s details.

2. Confirmation of our team’s accommodation during our stay there we will pay for this on our arrival.

3. Letter from your ministry of sports or your immigration department

All these letter should be reach to the both our association by post & Brazil embassy New Delhi India by fax.
Then we can go there to apply our team visa to come there we hope you can arrange all these letters for our team

I would like to undertand what is exactly tournaments and players for you. For me(my english is poor), is a championship, and we don't participate of championship. We training a very traditional Aikido following our Shihan, the Mr. Wagner Bull.

Do you have some site at Internet about your group and you follow some Shihan?

Best regards,
Joacir Marques

2009/5/30 Indian Aikido <indianaikidoteam@yahoo.in>

Dear sir,
Hello, thank you for your reply we would like to arrive there 18th morning & will depart from there 22nd of june.
but we need invitation letter with some needfull documents from your club for our team visa.
please reply to me in this we have also send this mail to your coach.
thanking you INDIAN TEAM

When you arrive in Manaus? Please, I Would appreciate that you speak with my sensei Wagner Bull, our shihan, about trainning in Manaus for ten days. His e-mail is wagner.bull@aikikai.org.br. Our Seminar is open!

Best Regards,
Joacir

|Indian Aikido para mim
mostrar detalhes 1 jun Responder

Dear sir,

Hello and thank you for your reply i understand it is not so easy to get all these leter but without invitation & confirmation of our teams accomondation during our stay there we are not even eligble to apply our visa at Brazilian embassy new delhi .
so if you can arrenge letter from your aikido federation or any goverment association so we can participate there
we hope you can arrenge these letters for us
thanking you Indian team

Dear Mr. Dalbir,

I can do a reservation for you at a hotel in Manaus and send you a confirmation of reserve by e-mail from Hotel. I will try get a letter from my federation for you, but Idon't know if I 'll achieve it.

Dou you have a association related with a Shihan from Aikikai? I need more information from your group.

I would like to undertand what is exactly tournaments and players for you. For me(my english is poor), is a championship, and we don't participate of championship. We training a very traditional Aikido following our Shihan, the Mr.. Wagner Bull.

Do you have some site at Internet about your group and you follow some Shihan?

Best regards,
Joacir Marques

2009/5/30 Indian Aikido <indianaikidoteam@yahoo.in>

Dear sir,
Hello, thank you for your reply we would like to arrive there 18th morning & will depart from there 22nd of june.
but we need invitation letter with some needfull documents from your club for our team visa.
please reply to me in this we have also send this mail to your coach.
thanking you INDIAN TEAM

When you arrive in Manaus? Please, I Would appreciate that you speak with my sensei Wagner Bull, our shihan, about trainning in Manaus for ten days. His e-mail is wagner.bull@aikikai.org.br. Our Seminar is open!

Best Regards,
Joacir

2009/5/30 Indian Aikido <indianaikidoteam@yahoo.in>

Respected sir/madam

with due respect hello, first of all i would like to introduce my self my name is DALBIR SINGH I’m belongs to Indian Aikido team i had participated in many national Aikido tournaments & training camps
in following countries : AUSTRALIA ,CUBA , U.K ,U.S.A , CANADA , JAPAN , GERMANY , FRANCE , ITALY , RUSSIA , AUSTRIA , etc.i have a
good Aikido academy here in new Delhi we have a good talented playerss. male or females this time we would like to come there in your club for 10 days training with some of your Players or if you have an international Aikido tournament or seminar
so we would also like to participate there & we have also needs a accommodation also we can pay for so if there is any possibility then
let me know about that. Please do invite our academy
I’m hoping for your fastest & favorable response

Dear sir,
hello and thank you we have a martial arts academy here in india which is registerd with indian goverment .if you want to so i can send you some picture of my & my sensai i ,am a judo player amd my sensai is 3 rd dan in taelwondo & karate
thanking you Indian team

Joacir Junior para Indian
mostrar detalhes 1 jun Responder

Nothing about Aikido?

Joacir Junior para Indian
mostrar detalhes 2 jun Responder

Dear Sir:

I am sorry we can not help you with those burocratic problems.
We are just a dojo of Aikido and will accept inscriptions of those interested and that will present in the opportunity, but only Aikidokas.

Really, I haven't how help you. If you really like Aikido, I suggest you find a good Shihan from Aikikai and train below him.

Nearly everytime my organization holds a seminar we get similar emails from these guys. Once you say you are welcome to come and train but we do not do sponsorships or help with Visas they disappear.
Though it has been a few years since I last heard from them, I guess they finaly worked out that they were not going to get what they wanted.

There was an individual who recieved a Nigerian Spam e-mail who, instead of just ignoring, decided to engage the spammer by creating a fake persona and e-mailing back and forth over a number of months.

The whole exchange, although long, was rather entertaining, and he's written it up as a one-man comedy show that he takes around with him.

I thought it was very interesting how the comedian in question chose to engage the spammer, and potentially stop him from spamming in the future. At the very least, probably took up a lot of the spammer's time and attention that could have been directed at more gullible marks.

I've gotten a couple of these - from Turkey, if I recall correctly, rather than India. The email asked specifically for a sponsorship letter and invitation. I think they asked to be uchi-deshi for 3 months or so. Since that isn't possible in our dojo and since I was a bit suspicious I responded with at bland note telling them we didn't have such a program but should they find themselves in Pittsburgh they were more than welcome to train with us. Never heard more. The next time I got one, I just didn't answer it.

So I can't sleep in the dojo?

Seriously though, this is an interesting type of scam. Well thought out, preys upon the general good nature of aikidoka, easy way to get into the country. Sheesh.